


Love Hate

by abderian



Series: Love Hate [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: High School AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 04:40:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/618176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abderian/pseuds/abderian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry was addicted to seeing the flash of anger in Niall’s eyes, the way that Niall would purse his lips, before turning away and letting the hurtful moment slide. And Niall waited everyday for Harry to attack, because each attack meant that Harry was paying attention to him. They were both stuck in their twisted cycle, dependent on each other, but in High School, feelings are always bound to be revealed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Hate

xXx

The bus rolled to a stop, the doors opening to the dreary world outside.

Harry sat alone, music pounding from his iPod, green eyes igniting with fire are he saw the blond huddled against the rain waiting to board the school bus.

He waited, timing himself, falling so easily into the daily routine of making the other boys life miserable, addicted to the flash of anger that would cross those blue eyes, before he would pursue his pink lips and look down, unable to react. Harry lived for those few seconds when he could see how much the other boy wanted to retaliate, the silent anger drawing him in to the cycle he didn’t want to end.

Niall stepped up, showing his pass to the driver, wiping his wet hair from his eyes as he wearily walked down the aisle, eyes searching for a seat.

Yawning, Harry stretched his leg out, straight into Niall’s path, grinning toothily as the blond boy tripped, dropping to the ground, books flying out of his bag, as the entire bus laughed.

Blue eyes met green, electricity flying between them as both boys were drawn back into the past to when the first met.

xXx

Feet swung under the desk as Harry stared glumly at the clock, wanting school to be over, despite the fact it had yet to begin. His seven year old mind was easily distracted and he thought longingly of the toys and games he could be playing at home.

The teacher stood, clapping her hands to get the attention of all her students, gently dropping one hand to a small, dark haired boy’s shoulder.

“Everyone this is Niall, he just moved here from Ireland, so I want you all to be nice to him. Harry can you raise your hand.”

Harry obeyed, although somewhat reluctantly.

“Thank you, Niall you are to sit next to Harry.”

“Hi, I’m Niall.” The boy said shyly as he slipped into the seat, blue eyes focused on Harry as he waited for a response.

Holding out a hand like he had seen his father do, Harry shook hands with Niall. “I’m Harry. You speak funny.”

The was the first time he ever saw the flash of anger in those blue eyes, the purse of the pink lips, but Harry was too young then to realise just how much he would come to depend on it.

“I don’t speak funny, this is how everyone speaks in Ireland.”

Harry ruffled the brown hair of the smaller boy, “Whatever you say leprechaun.”

A fragile bond was formed that day, although neither or the boys realised it, their first interactions setting out the course of their relationship, the teasing of a child becoming the bullying of a teenager.

xXx

The sky was blue, and Harry was watching the clouds drift lazily across it when he heard the distressed cries, and he hurried to his feet, not understanding the desperate need to help whoever was hurt, as he was never one to lend a hand.

He turned a corner to see Niall, cowering as two older students loomed above him, taunting him with names.

But it wasn’t the verbal assault that caused Harry’s heart to thud in anger and worry, it was the way Niall was gingerly holding his side, and the red mark on his cheek that was becoming purple with every passing moment.

“Hey leave him alone, pick on someone your own size!” He charged, glad for once that he was tall for his age as he pushed through the bullies in order to stand in front of Niall, his stance protective.

“Just leave him alone okay, otherwise you will regret it.”

Eyebrows cocked as one of the two looked ready to continue his tirade, uncaring of the fact that there was now two victims, but he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Let them be, what’s the point in beating up two faggots anyway.”

The pair walked off laughing, leaving the two nine year olds behind. Harry kneeled down next to the crying Niall, hesitantly grasping his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

Niall nodded, although he was confused at the caring display, “Why do you even care?”

He was surprised as the answer sprung to mind, “Because I am the only one allowed to pick on you leprechaun. And if you’re okay, then I’m going.”

Niall watched as Harry retreated, blue eyes still blurred with slowly drying tears, as he tried to work out Harry Styles.

xXx

Whispers followed him as he walked down the hallway, but Niall did not look up until he reached his locker, groaning as he saw Harry leaning against it.

“So the rumours are true then leprechaun.”

“Just move please Styles.” Niall softly pleaded, but his soft tone just caused Harry to smirk.

“It suits you, it highlights your inner self. But I wonder, should I start calling you dumb blond, or is that just offensive to all the other blond’s in the school?”

Niall was aware that Harry’s voice had attracted the attention of most people in the corridor, and he could hear the whispers about his hair, a blush growing on his face.

Just look up, he silently begged, hoping to see the anger in Niall’s eyes. But the blond continued to stare at the ground as Harry sipped on his coffee.

“Why so quiet leprechaun, are you embarrassed?”

Hissing under his breath, Niall reigned in his annoyance, much to Harry’s chagrin. The bell rang, indicating the start of classes, and Harry pushed away from Niall’s locker, a flash of impulse causing him to tilt his wrist, splashing the hot drink down Niall’s front.

Butterflies erupted in his stomach as Niall looked up glaring, Harry getting his first proper look at Niall’s new hair, the boy doing things to his heart that he never expected, but it was the anger, the pure hatred in his eyes, so strong that Harry’s heart skipped a beat. Niall no longer looked at him, except to glare, and Harry needed to see those eyes, those eyes were his drug.

“Whoops, clumsy me. See you in class leprechaun.” Harry sauntered off, leaving a trembling Niall behind, as anger melted into loneliness.

Slinking off to the bathroom, Niall knew that he wasn’t going to make it to his first class, as he stared at himself in the mirror, pulling self-consciously at his hair. He rummaged through his bag, pulling out a sweater that had survived Harry’s attack, deciding that he would have to wear it without a shirt, as his was now stained and wet.

Finally cleaned up, Niall allowed his thoughts to wander, travelling to Harry. Remembering his words the one day he had been nice, how he was the only one allowed to pick on Niall.

And Niall let him, because whenever Harry was bullying him, it meant that he had the younger boys attention, and as sad as it was, Niall lived for the moments when Harry would be completely focused on him.

xXx

“Harry Styles and Niall Horan.” The entire class groaned as Niall’s name was called out, each wanting to have the top student as their project partner, however the two mentioned simply froze, Niall staring at his desk in despair while Harry started to grin manically, plans to get Niall angry swirling in his head.

That was how the found themselves in this situation, sitting opposite each other in the library, a pile of books between them.

“So you do all the work and I take the credit, deal?”

Opening a book, Niall began to leaf through it for appropriate information, “Not likely Styles, you and I both know that you are the second smartest student in this class, so you can work for the grade.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Harry stood, leaning across the desk.

“Do you really want to challenge me leprechaun, if I say you are doing the assignment you are doing the assignment.”

There it was, the flash of anger, a spark of magic in the sapphire blue.

The librarian walked over, her harsh stare indicating that the pair was being too loud, the single finger to her lips a warning that they were to quieten down.

But for once Niall didn’t listen, to her or Harry, and he stared straight into Harry’s green eyes, setting his mouth in a determined line.

“No, this is where I draw the line Styles, no amount of your bullying will make me do the work.”

“Who said anything about bullying.” He whispered seductively in Niall’s ear, enjoying the blush that rose on Niall’s cheeks, and the stuttered answer, trying ignore his own impulses to just give in and grab the boy an kiss him, to drop the façade and admit his feelings.

But he didn’t, pushing back his chair and leaving the shocked Niall behind.

Not one week later they handed over the assignment, completed by Niall, with both their names on it.

xXx

He was shaking as he picked up all his books from the floor of the bus, reigning in his anger once more to avoid screaming at Harry.

“Have a nice trip leprechaun?” Harry asked, pulling the earphones from his ears.

“Go to hell.” Niall muttered, so quietly that no one heard him.

“What was that Niall, I didn’t quite catch that.”

But Niall simply shook his head, sinking into an empty seat and staring out the window, wondering when he became so messed up that he fell in love with his worst nightmare.

Harry continued to watch him, mentally begging for him to turn around once more, but when he didn’t, he frowned, cogs in his mind already turning, planning his next attack.

xXx

Balancing the food carefully on the plate, Niall sat down at one of the tables, alone once again.

He picked at his food, eating slowly, wandering what Harry was doing, as he hadn’t seen the curly haired boy since that morning on the bus.

Almost as if drawn to his thoughts, Niall didn’t react when he felt a body behind him, sifting through the wallet that had been stolen from Niall’s bag.

“Well looky here, at all these coins, I guess you really are a leprechaun.”

Yoghurt splashed onto Niall’s face as Harry emptied out all the coins into Niall’s food, smirking as he walked off, unaware that Niall had finally reached the end of his rope.

He stopped walking, hand rising hesitantly to touch his hair, the curls sticky from the food that had been thrown at him. He turned slowly, glinting green eyes falling upon Niall, the blond boy standing, chest heaving, as he glared at Harry, waiting to throw more food.

Thin fingers stole food of a plate belonging to someone unknown, flinging it back, hitting Niall straight in the face. Neither was going to back down, and suddenly food was flying, each attempting to hit the other.

A shrill whistle cut across the room, and Harry and Niall froze, hands clenched and their bodies covered in scraps as the head mistress stalked across the room, lips pursed disapprovingly.

“This behaviour is despicable, and I don’t care what your reasoning is, both of you will stay after school today and serve a detention. Now go to reception and see if they can find you some clean clothes.”

xXx

Niall watched the sunset from inside the classroom, the soft slam as the door closed indicating that the teacher had left to run some errands, leaving Niall alone in the classroom with Harry.

His heart beat picked up, half scared, half enthralled, waiting to see if Harry would attack, whether he would take advantage of the fact that there were no witnesses.

But there was no bite, Harry just sat at his desk, watching Niall’s back, stopped from speaking by the beauty in front of him, the way the sunlight hit Niall’s blond hair, and not for the first time, he was mesmerised by the dyed colour.

They could both feel it, the atmosphere altered between them, tension rising as they waited for the other to speak, until finally Niall cracked, the question that had been on his mind for years slipping from his lips.

“Why do you hate me?” He didn’t turn, so he didn’t see Harry’s nervous jump, or downward gaze, the way that his hands shook as he tried to maintain his calm, trying to avoid the question that Niall had asked.

“Have you ever wondered why you don’t have any friends?” He sneered back, waiting, hoping for Niall to spin around, to face him while he spoke, but instead, Niall just sunk back, sitting on a desk, staring at the board.

“I know why I don’t Styles, you scared everyone away, you never wanted me to be happy, and ensuring that I had no friends was just another way to make sure I was miserable. And I let you do it; I never fought to keep the friends as you scared them away.”

The tone was bitter and it caused Harry to flinch, the sadness in Niall’s voice touching his heart, almost pulling the words from him, the real reason he had scared of potential friends. If Niall had friends then Harry might have lost him, and the thought scared him, so he had fought, pushing away anyone who came to close to his Niall, selfishly keeping him to himself, his own toy to torture.

He felt it, a tingle in his spine that only those eyes could give him, and he knew Niall had looked up. Green eyes met blue, locking across the room, and Harry felt control abandon him. He lived for that angry spark, but now the blue eyes awash with sadness and curiosity, it was Niall that had the power.

“What do you hate me Harry?” He pleaded.

“I don’t.” Harry admitted softly, head dropping, refusing to look up, trying to avoid those questioning eyes that he longed to see every day, for once completely vulnerable, his secret so close to being revealed.

Niall leaned back on the desk, tilting his head, gazing on Harry’s slumped figure, sensing the weakness, determined that for once he would get an answer. “If you don’t hate me then why do you try to make my life a living hell?”

“Why do you let me?” Harry shot back snarkily, trying to maintain his bullying facade as long as he could. But he knew it was futile, his every fibre drawn to the other boy, just like he had been two years ago in the library. It was so easy to pretend to hate him in public, but when it was just them, his longing clouded his mind.

“Because, I never forgot what you said when we were nine, about you being the only person allowed to pick on me, and although I got angry occasionally, you made me feel special. How messed up is that?” Niall laughed, turning his head to once again look out the window, seemingly entranced by the colours that drifted across the sky.

“No more messed up than me.” Harry whispered, so quiet that Niall did not hear him. He pushed the chair back, the legs scraping against the floor, as he walked over to stand in front of the blond, waiting for Niall to glance up, to look at him.

“I don’t hate you leprechaun.”

Niall frowned, hearing the honesty in the voice, not understanding how someone could torture him so much, and have hatred not be a reason. He looked up, eyes wide and innocent, seeing the soft warn light of the sunset illuminating Harry’s face.

As he sat, head upturned, eyes alight, the fading light catching on his hair, Harry felt his heart beat slow, the clock’s tick echo in his ear, his own breathing become ragged. He couldn’t avoid it, he was drawn like a magnet, no longer was a flash of anger in Niall’s blue eyes the only drug he needed.

Their lips connected and their hearts raced together, shadows thrown across the room, the light dancing around their embracing figures like a halo.

Harry pulled away, Niall’s blue eyes fluttering open, filled with an passion that Harry had never seen, one more poignant than anger, that caused a greater swirl of emotions.

He stumbled back, memories flooding through his mind, of the first time they had met, of the time when he took ownership of the blond, he was the only one allowed to hurt him. When Niall had become a blond, and the flutter of butterflies he had felt in his stomach. Of the library, the first time he had almost succumbed, that he had known how deep his feelings went. And the kiss, only moments ago. His mind whirling, Harry glanced back, eyes full of confusion and fear, as he ran from the room.

Niall sat watching the younger boy run, fingers lifting up to touch his tingling lips, a small smile crossing his face. Sometimes, he thought to himself, there is a fine line between love and hate, and often the line itself can become blurred. He grabbed his stuff, walking from the room, glancing back at the desk where he had sat, the sunlight hitting it dimly, heart glowing as he remembered the touch of Harry’s lips against his.

xXx


End file.
